This morning he’d licked me into oblivion and then fucked me roughly from behind, both of us kneeling up against the headboard. Later I’d sucked his cock while he knelt over my face, finishing him off while he stood at the side of the bed and I hung off it, upside down. After room service lunch, we did it in the shower, my back up against the tile wall. Then we actually considered a walk outside, feeling quite proud of ourselves. But we’d fallen asleep before we were even dry, and now he was sliding inside me again, his face hovering above mine. It struck me then that every time since we’d gotten back together had been so rushed.
This was different. Now, those first frantic orgasms out of the way, we took our time.
Time, I thought as he moved inside me, his lips barely brushing mine. We have time. We have each other. We have our past, but we have a future too.
I opened my legs wider, tilted my hips to take him deeper, raked my nails slowly down his back. I was there again, that night he’d said we would go on forever, like the sky and stars, and I was here, writhing beneath him, our bodies connected and yearning.
“You were right,” I said, digging my heels into his thighs.
“About what?” His cock pushed deeper, and he stayed there, moving against me in tiny, measured, rhythmic pulses.
“About the past. About forever. About us. Oh, God.” I grabbed him, held him tightly to my body as everything around me splintered and the world was reduced to nothing more than my body, my heart, my soul, merging with his.
I’d never let him go.
#
“Well…what do you think?” Mia turned away from the full-length cheval mirror in the bedroom designated as the bridal dressing room at the villa and faced us.
“Oh God.” Erin cupped a hand over her mouth. “I’m going to cry and ruin my makeup. You’re so beautiful.”
Mia’s lovely pink lips curved into a smile. “Thank you.”
I opened my mouth to say the same, but found my throat so tight I couldn’t speak. She was beautiful, but even more than that she was happy. And considering it was Mia, she was remarkably calm. Her smile was serene, her hands steady, her shoulders relaxed. The room, with its large windows overlooking the olive grove, where everything was set up for the ceremony, was airy and suffused with sunlight, making her pale skin glow rosy and gold. She looked so peaceful, much more peaceful than I’d ever seen her look before anyone’s wedding, let alone her own. Nary a hive nor hiccup.
“Oh, Mia, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. I’m happy for you too.” Her smile widened. “I can’t believe it, but I’m actually fond of Nick Lupo.”
I laughed. “You’re on cloud nine, you’re fond of everyone right now.”
“True.”
“And this is your day—we can be happy for me when you get back.”
Mia’s lifted her chin. “If it’s my day, then I get to feel anything I want—and when I look at you and see how happy he makes you, and how good he is to you, I feel all warm and fuzzy about it. And you can’t stop me.”
“OK, fine. You win. Be happy for me.” I fussed with her hair a little, moving some loose strands off her face. She’d wanted to wear it down, so it was loosely knotted and spilling over one shoulder, echoing the lines of her elegant ivory chiffon gown. Sleeveless, the neckline dipped to a scandalously low V in the front (I could never wear anything like it, but Mia’s smaller chest was perfectly suited for it) and all the way to the waist in back. There was beading at the top of each shoulder and around her slim waist, and the hemline was mermaid style. She hadn’t wanted a veil, so nestled in her wavy brown hair were a few cream- colored flowers picked this afternoon from the villa’s extensive gardens. Standing back to take in the full vision, I grinned at the way her little toes peeked out from beneath the hem in her sandals. “You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
“Good, because I think it’s time.” Mia glanced out the window again and took a deep breath. “Looks like all the chairs are full, and I hear music.”
“Are you ready?” Erin asked, reaching for her hand.
“More than ready.” Mia reached for my hand, and squeezed. “Thank you for being here. I love you both so much.”
Erin and I joined hands to complete our little circle. “We love you too,” I said. “Lucas is the luckiest man in the world. I can’t wait to see his face when he gets a look at you.”
#
The villa’s front courtyard was set up for the reception, and Mia had chosen décor that echoed the colors of the Provençal landscape beyond it. Tables for eight covered with ivory or taupe damask cloths, sprigs of rosemary or thyme on each plate, centerpieces of lavender bouquets, and candles of various heights glowing in the twilight. Even the air smelled romantic—full of herbs and floral notes that made you want to drink it like honey. The day had been hot, but had cooled to a comfortable temperature, and a light breeze ruffled the tablecloths.
Behind the villa, beyond gardens of wildflowers and a row of lemon trees, twelve rows of chairs were set up on either side of a gravel path. At the end of the path, which was lined with votive candles, stood the Officiant, and beyond him, the olive grove.
Erin and I waited near the lemon trees with Mia’s little half-sisters, who were serving as flower girls. Three guitarists strummed softly as Lucas’s family was seated: his former movie star mother, a strikingly beautiful woman on the arm of her husband, a handsome man ten years younger; and his father, who resembled an older version of Lucas in a sort of shaggy-haired, aging-rockstar way. Next, Mia’s stepfather and mother were seated, and finally, the groom and his two brothers appeared in front of the guests. They wore dark blue suits, white shirts and ties in a deep color Mia called aubergine.